The Wii U Console and What Is In Store for Gamer’s This Holiday

Nintendo’sWii U console is the first in a new wave of consoles to be released for gamers to enjoy in the coming years. But does it appeal to the masses and does Nintendo have another hit on their hands? The answer is yes. Having gotten to experience the Wii U first hand at multiple events, such as E3, Comic Con and their road tour, it has been shown to be a great addition to the gamer’s arsenal. Back in 2006, Nintendo introduced the world to the Wii, a revolutionary new console that featured what essentially is a television remote as its controller, and now with the Wii U, Nintendo has once again stepped up the innovation with a new control scheme, the Wii U Game Pad. The Wii U Game Pad is a controller that features a 6.2-inch touch screen mounted into the shell of a wireless dual analogue controller. This combination of a regular controller and a tablet creates a unique game play experience.
The tablet controller offers the gamer a new way to both play a console game, and take the game with them. By utilizing this additional screen, the players can engage in new game ideas such as those seen by Nintendo’s first party title, Nintendo Land. In one of the experiences in this game, four players using the original Wii Remote are tasked with finding a ghost, (the player using the game pad) while the GamePad user is tasked with capturing all four Wii Remote players. The four WiiRemote players cannot see the ghost on the main Television, however the Wii U Game Pad provides the single ghost player the entire map to be viewed at their disposal giving them an edge.
While the original Wii was aimed at casual gamers, which was a viable business model, the Wii U is aimed at both the casual and hardcore gamers alike. The cutesy family games and cartoon graphics are still present in games like Nintendo Land, but they sit alongside some graphically impressive adult games such as Batman: Arkham City. In fact, by adding the Wii UGamePad, some current generation titles, are re-imagined in a new and sometimes even more entertaining way. The Wii U GamePad also bridges the gap for independent developers as well from drawing focus from tablets to the Game Pad, which I will go into in a future review.
So what do I think of the Wii U? I personally like it a lot. It looks like a great console and will delight casual gamers the same way the Wii did. The idea of being able to turn off my TV set and play solely on the GamePad is a great mechanic and will be a great feature for those that have their console in a high usage television zone. The games too, look like great fun and they are a fun engaging experience. The addition of more adult games in the Nintendo universe can only mean greater success for the company. Nintendo solved the issue already that many developers where concerned with, by introducing the Wii U Pro Controller, a controller similar to that of the Xbox. This controller will help third party developers bring their titles to the Nintendo Wii U alongside the current generation and next generation consoles.